Vanessa Obioha writes that actress, filmmaker and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Regional Goodwill Ambassador, Stephanie Linus, is keen on her mission to promote personal hygiene in Nigeria through her new campaign

Like the rest of the world, the actress and filmmaker Stephanie Linus is adjusting to the new realities shaped by the coronavirus pandemic that upended the world.

It is against this backdrop that Stephanie, who was appointed a Regional Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in 2017 recently launched a new campaign, 'Hygiene First: My New Habit'.

Through her award-winning movie, 'Dry', that addressed the challenges of the adolescent girls in Africa but with more emphasis on Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF) -- a condition that allows the continuous involuntary discharge of urine into the vaginal vault as a result of a congenital birth condition -- Stephanie has amplified the need for the society to pay attention to the African girl-child, spreading the message to every corner of the world.

'Dry' is the first world-class movie to address fistula and bring the world's attention to a disease that has plagued women and girls for many decades.

With no immediate end to the pandemic in sight, Stephanie is convinced that she needs to make more impact and change in the world, saying: "I've been thinking about the things that are in my power to change and what I can do about it.